THIS WEEK: Southwest Minnesota State University opens its 48th season of football on Thursday, Sept. 3, at 6 p.m. versus Minot State University at Herb Parker Stadium in Minot, N.D. SMSU is coming off a 3-8 season in 2014, while MSU finished 1-10. A preview on Minot State is located on page 4.

    FOR OPENERS: Southwest Minnesota State is 20-27 all-time in season openers, which includes losing its last four season openers. SMSU lost last season's first game at U-Mary, 19-18, on a Marauders touchdown with 23 seconds left in the game. SMSU's last season opening victory was in 2010 versus Northern State. SMSU is 1-4 in season openers under head coach Cory Sauter. The last time SMSU opened the season with a victory on the road came in 2009 versus Minnesota Crookston.

    A VICTORY FOR SMSU ON THURSDAY WOULD...:
    •Be its first season opening win since 2010.
    •Be its first season opening road win since 2009.
    •Be its third straight over Minot State.
    •Lift SMSU's all-time record to 180-300-5, including 118-206-5 in conference play.

    SMSU IN DIVISION PLAY: Since the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference adopted two divisions in 2011, SMSU has an all-time record of 6-10 versus NSIC North Division teams. SMSU is a combined 11-16 in NSIC South Division games.

    SMSU ALL-TIME ON SEPT. 3: Southwest Minnesota State is 1-2 all-time when playing on Sept. 3. SMSU lost at Weber State in 1983 and at Missouri Western in 1994, before earning a victory versus Peru State in 2005.

    THE HEAD COACH: Southwest Minnesota State head coach Cory Sauter is in his sixth season in 2015 and has an overall record of 21-35, including 20-33 in conference games. The 21 victories ranks third among 10 all-time head coaches in program history. Sauter was named head coach on March 29, 2010, after serving two seasons as an assistant coach at SMSU. In 2009, Sauter served as the team's offensive coordinator, while in 2008 he served as quarterbacks coach. A complete bio on coach Sauter can be found on page 23.

    SMSU & GAME STORYLINES:
    •SMSU finished last season ranked third in the NSIC and 37th in Division II in third-down conversion percentage (43.8).
    •SMSU finished last season ranked fourth in the NSIC and 12th in Division II in fewest penalty yards per game (45.5).
    •SMSU ranked last in the NSIC a season ago in turnover margin and 159th in Division II.
    •SMSU was a "plus" in turnover margin just twice last season and was even in two other games. SMSU finished 3-1 in the four games.
    •Sophomore Nate Huot's 71-yard touchdown reception at Winona State last season was the longest play from scrimmage for SMSU this season.
    •Huot led SMSU with 52 receptions in 2014, becoming the first SMSU freshman to lead the squad in receptions in a season since Pete Kienhohlz in 1994.
    •Senior Andrew McReynolds ranked tied for fourth in the NSIC with four interceptions last season.
    •Sophomore quarterback Blake Gimbel is expected to make his first career start on Thursday night.
    •Gimbel served as the team's placekicker in week 9 and 10 last season, replacing an injured Mike Wenk. Gimbel made two 21-yard field goals in a week 10 victory at Winona State.
    •Senior Jared Twedt ranked ninth in the NSIC with 95 tackles last season, while junior Casey Hertz was 11th with 94.
    •SMSU has scored 30 or more points in 20 of its last 35 games dating back to the final game of the 2011 season.

    THE 2015 ROSTER: The 2014 SMSU roster features 108 players (as of Aug. 31) with 13 seniors, 24 juniors, 15 sophomores, 13 redshirt freshmen and 43 freshmen. The roster includes players from 18 different states and Canada. Minnesota leads the way with 55 players, followed by Iowa (9), Wisconsin (8), California (6), Illinois (6), South Dakota (5), Florida (3), Michigan (3), Colorado (2), Arizona (2), Nevada (1), Nebraska (1), Kansas (1), Georgia (1), Oklahoma (1), Arkansas (1), Oregon (1), Pennsylvania (1) and Ontario (1).





    2015 SEASON PREVIEW: SMSU must replace two-year starters at both quarterback and running back this fall. Quarterback Charlie Kern started 23 games the last two seasons, including completing 229 of 363 pass attempts for 2,246 yards and 19 touchdowns last season. Running back Tyler Tonderum rushed for a team-high 930 yards with six touchdowns on 204 attempts in 2014.    
    Blake Gimbel has the most experience among signal-callers on the 2015 roster, appearing in six games last season, completing 36 of 63 passes for 332 yards and one touchdown. He came on in relief for an injured Kern in week 10 last season, completing 7 of 13 passes for 106 yards and one touchdown, to help SMSU rally from a 21-13 deficit and defeat Winona State 39-34.
    Senior running back Davontay Stevens is the team's top returning rusher from 2014, amassing 483 yards and one touchdown on 76 carries for a 6.4 yard average. He rushed for 90 or more yards in three games and had one 100-yard rushing game. Also returning is junior running back Ashanti Payne, who finished last season with 131 yards and one touchdown on 36 carries. He also caught seven passes for 57 yards and one touchdown.
    SMSU returns its leading receiver from 2014 in sophomore Nate Huot, who caught 52 passes for 649 yards with a team-leading nine touchdowns. Huot, who caught five or more passes in five of the last eight games a season ago, was named All-NSIC honorable mention and was voted SMSU's offensive MVP. Junior Ty Steffensen (25 receptions) and senior Kevin Parks (21 receptions) both return at wide receiver, after combining for 46 catches and 513 yards with one touchdown in 2014.
     The Mustangs return six players that made five or more starts on an offensive line that helped an offense average 27 points and 400 yards per game. Junior left tackle Grant Greenfield started all 11 games last season, while senior Alan McCaulley started a combined 11 games at both guard and tackle.Other returning starters include senior Joe Grant, who started the final six games at left guard, sophomore Austin Hilgert, who started the last six games at guard and center and senior Quinn Bullard, who made seven starts at right guard.
     On defense, SMSU returns its top three and six of its top seven tacklers from the 2014 season. Senior safety Jared Twedt led the squad with 95 tackles, was second with 56 solo stops and had one interception. Junior safety Casey Hertz finished second with 94 tackles and recorded a team-high 57 solo tackles with one interception.
     Junior linebacker Tyler Flud—named SMSU's team MVP in 2014—started all 11 games last season and ranked third with 88 tackles and was second with seven tackles for loss. Another returning starter at linebacker, senior Alex Burton, recorded 59 tackles and was third on the team with five tackles for loss.
     At cornerback, senior Andrew McReynolds, a 2014 second team All-NSIC South honoree, and two-year starter, returns after leading the team with four interceptions last season and recording 48 tackles. Another senior cornerback, Donovan Woods, is a three-year starter and returns after racking up 38 tackles last season. Both McReynolds and Woods were named All-NSIC honorable mention in 2013.
     Senior defensive end AJ Page will anchor the defensive line after battling injuries in 2014. Despite missing two games, Page—who was named second All-NSIC South in 2013—led the team with 9.5 tackles for loss and was also the team leader with three sacks.
     SMSU must replace kicker/punter Mike Wenk, who earned All-American honors in 2014, after leading the conference with a school record 43.1 yard punt average, while also making 8 of 9 field goals and 24 of 27 PATs. McReynolds led the team in both kickoff (18.7) and punt (12.2, one touchdown) return average in 2014.

    STEVENS IN THE STARTING ROLL: Senior running back Davontay Stevens is expected to be the starting tailback on Thursday night at Minot State. He replaces two-year starter Tyler Tonderum, who led the team in rushing in both 2013 and 2014. Last season, Stevens rushed for 483 yards on just 76 carries, for an average of 6.4 per rush. He rushed for a career-high 111 yards on 13 carries versus Minnesota Crookston and also rushed for more than 90 yards in two other games, including recording 91 yards and a touchdown on 16 attempts at Minnesota State.

    HUOT BREAKS OUT IN 2014: Sophomore wide receiver led SMSU in receptions (52), yards (649) and touchdowns (9) last season and became the first Mustang freshman to lead the team in recepetions since 1994. Huot had a pair of 100-yard receiving games last season and caught two touchdown passes in three different games. He had a career-high 10 receptions versus Wayne State.

    FRESHMAN MAKE IMPACTS IN 2014: The SMSU receiving corps had a handful of rookie players make big impacts last season. Sophomore wide receiver Nate Huot, who is also a member of the SMSU men's basketball team, led the team with 52 receptions for a team-high 649 yards and nine touchdowns in 2014. Sophomore tight end Tommy Steidler played in all 11 games and had eight catches for 92 yards and one two-point conversion, while sophomore wide receiver Cameron Parus finished last season with eight receptions for 62 yards.

    RETURNING OFFENSIVE LINE IN 2015: Southwest Minnesota State returns six players that made five or more starts on the offensive line in 2014. Last season, SMSU had five new starters on the offensive line following the graduation of all five starters from 2013.

    TEAM CAPTAINS: Four players, two on offense and two on defense, have been named team captains for the 2015 season. The team captains were selected by a vote of the Mustang players. The offensive team captains selected were senior running back Davontay Stevens and sophomore quarterback Blake Gimbel. The defensive team captains named were senior defensive end AJ Page and junior linebacker Tyler Flud. It's the second straight season Page has been selected captain.

    NSIC PRESEASON POLL: SMSU was picked to finish 11th overall and sixth in the South Division in the annual 16-team Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Preseason Coaches' Poll. Sophomore wide receiver Nate Huot and senior cornerback Andrew McReynolds were named "Players to Watch" in the NSIC this season.

    THE 2014 SEASON: The Southwest Minnesota State University football team finished the 2014 season with a record of 3-8 overall and 2-5 in the NSIC South Division. SMSU finished tied for 13th overall and tied for sixth in the South Division.

    NSIC AND NCAA STATISTICS: A complete listing of where SMSU ranks in last season's NCAA and Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference statistics are located on pages 19-22.

    ALL-NSIC RETURNERS: SMSU returns two players who earned All-NSIC South Division honors in 2014. Senior cornerback Andrew McReynolds was named second team All-NSIC South, while sophomore wide receiver Nate Huot was named honorable mention All-NSIC South.

    RECORD ON THE ROAD: Southwest Minnesota State finished 1-4 in road games last season after recording a 4-1 record in road games in 2013. SMSU is a combined 24-49 in road games since 2000.

    PAGE IN THE RECORD BOOK: Southwest Minnesota State senior defensive end AJ Page ranks among the top 10 in a pair of defensive categories to begin the 2015 season. He ranks sixth all-time in tackles for loss and 10th in sacks. Page's 17 tackles for loss in 2013 ranks fourth on the SMSU single-season list.
    SMSU Career Tackles for Loss
    58.0    Jason Jacobs    1996-99
    54.0    Dan Lee    1978-81
    40.0    Nate Rudolph    1996-99
    38.0    Greg Delaine    1988-91
    35.0    Dave Seidler    1985-87
    34.5    AJ Page    2012-14

    PUNT RETURN RECORD SET: Senior punt returner Andrew McReynolds set an SMSU record last season with an 89-yard punt return for a touchdown in week four versus Northern State. The return broke the previous record of 80 yards set by Blake Wilson in 2009. The 89-yard play is the longest by an SMSU player this season.

    SPECIAL TEAMS LEADERS: Junior Casey Hertz led SMSU with 14 special teams tackles last season with 11 coming on kickoff returns and two on punt return. In 2013, Hertz ranked second on the team with 11 special teams tackles.

    GET IN THE "ZONE": Southwest Minnesota State scored on 35 of its 43 (81.4) possessions inside the "red zone" in 2014 with 26 touchdowns and eight field goals. SMSU opponents finished 48 of 58 (82.8) inside "red zone" with 33 touchdowns and 11 field goals. The following is SMSU in the red zone since 2004.
    Year    Red-Zone    TD    FG
    2004    30 of 47 (63.8)    25    5
    2005    21 of 29 (72.4)    14    7
    2006    27 of 38 (71.1)    20    7
    2007    28 of 42 (66.7)    20    8
    2008    38 of 51 (74.5)    33    5
    2009    41 of 45 (91.1)    36    5
    2010    22 of 30 (73.3)    22    0
    2011    35 of 41 (85.4)    29    6
    2012    30 of 37 (81.1)    25    5
    2013    49 of 57 (86.0)    40    9
    2014    35 of 43 (81.4)    26    8

    BIG PLAY MUSTANGS: SMSU recorded 71 offensive/defensive plays or kick/punt returns of 20 or more yards in 2014, including 42 by the Mustang offense (15 run, 27 pass). In 2013, SMSU racked up 125 "long plays" which ranked as the most for an SMSU team since the statistic started being kept in 2001. For a complete look at the "long" plays and SMSU's "money" plays for the 2014 season, go to pages 14-15.
"Long" plays (20 yards or more) since 2004
    Year    No.    TD    Run    Pass    KR    PR    IR    FR
    2001    59    6    6    18    32    1    2    0
    2002    70    16    10    32    22    1    4    1
    2003    65    16    15    24    21    3    1    1            
    2004    67    10    17    27    18    1    4    0
    2005    61    12    10    28    18    2    3    0
    2006    43    4    3    25    11    2    2    0
    2007    69    11    7    32    24    1    4    1
    2008    61    10    6    32    18    2    3    0
    2009    98    22    14    49    30    1    4    0
    2010    61    14    10    32    18    0    0    1
    2011    60    8    13    22    23    1    1    0
    2012    66    20    18    28    19    1    0    0
    2013    125    30    28    51    41    1    2    2
    2014    71    12    15    27    21    3    5    0        




    DEFENSE SCORING TOUCHDOWNS: The SMSU defense scored a pair of touchdowns last season with Casey Hertz recording a 40-yard interception return for a touchdown versus Minnesota Crookston and Daryl Thomas with a 27-yard interception return for a touchdown at Minnesota State.

    TURNOVER MARGIN: Southwest Minnesota State finished last season minus-13 in turnover margin after finishing plus-5 in turnover margin in 2013, which ranks as one of the best in school history.
    Since the start of the 2004 season (122 games), SMSU has been a "plus" in turnover margin in just 34 games (three in 2004, two in 2005, one in 2006, two in 2007, three in 2008, three in 2009, two in 2010, three in 2011, seven in 2012, six in 2013 and twice in 2014). In SMSU's last 99 conference games, which spans from late in the 2004 season through 2014, SMSU is minus-48 in turnover margin. The Mustangs have been "even" or "minus" in turnover margin in 69 of their last 99 conference games.

    MUSTANGS AT HOME: The 2015 season marks the eighth year for SMSU football at Mattke Field at the Schwan Regional Event Center. SMSU, which finished 2-4 last season, is 17-23 all-time at the stadium. The $16 million facility opened in the fall of 2008 with the first college football game played on Aug. 30, versus Minnesota Crookston. SMSU has never recorded a winning season at the stadium, but has finished .500 three different seasons.

    HOME OPENERS ALL-TIME: SMSU is 25-22 all-time in home openers last season's victory over Minnesota Crookston.

    MUSTANG HISTORY: The 2015 campaign marks the 48th season of college football at Southwest Minnesota State dating back to 1968. SMSU owns an all-time record of 179-300-5, including 117-206-5 in conference play. SMSU has recorded nine winning seasons, made two NAIA playoff appearances (1987 and 1991) and one Mineral Water Bowl appearance (2013). The program earned its lone conference championship in 1990.

    WORKING OVERTIME: SMSU has played in 11 overtime games since the NCAA added overtime in 1998. SMSU is 4-7 all-time, including 0-1 last season. SMSU is 1-3 in multi-overtime games. SMSU's last overtime game was a home loss to Wayne State (48-45) on Oct. 25, 2014. The program's last multi-overtime game was a 34-31 double overtime loss at Minnesota State on Oct. 13, 2012.

    MUSTANGS ON RADIO: All SMSU football games during the 2015 season will be broadcast on Marshall Radio, 105.1 FM KARL. Ryan Rohlik is in his third season as the play-by-play voice of SMSU football.

    ABOUT MINOT STATE: Tyler Hughes is in his second season as head coach at Minot State with a record of 1-10. Prior to MSU, Hughes was the quality control assistant and assistant quarterbacks coach at Ohio State University in 2013. Before his time at OSU, Hughes spent nine seasons at Snow College (Utah), including the 2011 and 2012 seasons as head coach. The Beavers finished 1-10 last season with their lone victory coming against Minnesota Crookston. MSU returns three-year starting quarterback senior Zac Cunha, who passed for 1,866 yards with 14 touchdowns and five interceptions a season ago. Junior running back Jarvis Mustipher led the team in rushing last season with 415 yards and three touchdowns on 106 carries, while senior wide receiver Porter Sturm is also back after finishing third on the squad in 2014 with 37 receptions for 392 yards and three touchdowns. The Beavers defense is paced by 2015 NSIC North Division Preseason Player of the Year senior defensive end Thomas Bryson. In 2014, Bryson finished second in the league with 10.5 sacks and was sixth in tackles for loss with 16.5 He racked third on the MSU team with 68 total tackles.

    UP NEXT: Southwest Minnesota State will host Bemidji State University on Sept. 12 for Ag Bowl starting at 6 p.m. at Mattke Field at the Schwan Regional Event Center.